Chelsea have completed the signing of Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal that could rise to around £62million.
The Spanish defender becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing of the summer and takes their total spending under new owner Todd Boehly to over £150m.
Chelsea moved to sign Cucurella, who arrived at Brighton for £15m just last season, after Manchester City refused to meet the asking price for the 24-year-old.
Chelsea academy prospect Levi Colwill moves in the other direction on a season-long loan after the Blues were insistent that the 19-year-old would not leave on a permanent deal.
On Wednesday, Brighton issued a statement denying “inaccurate” reports that Chelsea had reached a £52 million deal for Cucurella but would have seen Colwill join Brighton for around £25 million.
Cucurella’s arrival hands Thomas Tuchel the kind of depth and quality at wing-back he has craved ever since his first days at Stamford Bridge.
“He’s young, hungry, mobile and a very intelligent player,” Tuchel said of Cucurella. “It helps in depth and in quality, and it helps with Ben, to escape the pressure of I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now.
“We have of course at the moment in this position Marcos Alonso, Kenedy and Emerson. But hopefully when things go through Marc is the option on this position.
“And I think he can play very well in the back three, so it’s a bit of a profile of Azpi (Azpilicueta) on the left side. He gives us many options.”
Cucurella, who handed in a transfer request with the Seagulls to force a move, is delighted to have finalised the switch.
“I’m really happy, it’s a big opportunity for me to join one of the best clubs in the world and I’m going to work hard to be happy here and help the team,” he said.
Marcos Alonso is now expected to leave the club and complete a long-rumoured move to Barcelona, after Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta signed a new two-year deal on Thursday.
The signing of Cucurella continues a busy summer of transfer activity for Chelsea under Boehly’s ownership. The Blues have already signed Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina while they are now expected to step up interest in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Leicester defender Wesley Fofana.
Premier League champions City had identified Cucurella as a target this summer following the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko but pulled out of negotiations after Brighton declared an asking price of around £50m.
Cucurella becomes the second most expensive transfer of the summer in the Premier League, following Liverpool’s signing of Darwin Nunez for an initial £67.5m.
